Panggung Muzik, GSC Pavilion KL, 23/4

We’ve been thinking of this idea of “re-scoring” local films for a while now, but never had the opportunity to execute it. When Kakiseni invited us to curate a show for their 2013 KakiseniFEST, we grabbed the opportunity to do so.

The idea originated from musicals / theatre performances that had live music to accompany the performance, but instead of re-scoring these selected existing films, we matched the scenes with existing music by Malaysian independent bands. We feel that through “Panggung Muzik”, a stronger relationship can be built between the film and independent music scenes in Malaysia.

This is a free (but ticketed, due to the limited seating) showcase featuring 4 Malaysian independent bands, rescoring scenes from 4 local films, all happening in a 250 seater cinema at GSC in Pavilion, Kuala Lumpur.

Bands & Films

1) Tempered Mental x Goodbye Boys

Goodbye Boys is a simple journey with complicated realizations. Set in 1990, Malaysia, the limelight is on a gang of pimply guys with raging hormones, undecided ambitions and formative identities. They set out on a grueling 5-day journey through the Kinta Valley – once the richest tin deposit in the world, now an abandoned plain – that changes friendships and selves. This is a story that will capture the psyche of a group of young boys on the brink of leaving their comfort zones, in transition… It is a confusing yet exciting time where you wish the possibilities were endless but in reality, you know your escape routes are limited. It is a timeless journey that affirms growing up as being a beautiful tragicomedy.

An aimless lout crosses paths with a corrupt woman and pays the price in this drama from writer and director Ho Yuhang. Tuck Chai is a twenty-three year old whose life is stuck in neutral; he’s not especially bright, he doesn’t know what he wants to do with himself, and he works in a neighborhood shop run by his mother, who has a drinking problem and depends on her son for most of her needs. Tuck has been dating Ying, a self-centered and amoral girl from a wealthy family who is only fifteen. The girl’s schoolmates are experimenting sexually, and when she encourages her boyfriend, nature takes its course. This is a tale about how poor decisions can lead to tragedy and captures these people in all of their fragility and self-absorption. This movie would really jump at you, especially when things start to pick up pace heading toward an explosive, shocking finale.

Set in the urban metropolis of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, SONGLAP tells the gritty, grim yet brash story of two brothers, Ad and Am, who eke out an existence as brokers and deliverymen in a baby trafficking network or basically having to do whatever they can to survive in the harsh reality of Kuala Lumpur. Their lives turn upside down when they suddenly meet Hawa, the sister of Ad’s bestfriend. They dodge parang wielding gangster just to help Hawa from being sold by the syndicate and ultimately, saving her baby. It is definitely a thrilling drama that will take you through the gritty underbelly of Kuala Lumpur’s sprawling metropolis and keep you on the edge of your seat as you join Ad and Hawa in their search for a better life.

Set in the secluded mangroves of Malaysia, BUNOHAN is a story of three brothers who return to their home, each with their own path and each with their own fate. The story opens in a godforsaken town in southern Thailand, just across the border from Malaysia. Kickboxer Adil, the youngest who goes by the monicker ‘Bunga Lalang’, is on the run from an illegal fight, while Ilham, a hired assassin and the oldest brother, hunts for his next prey. It is the middle brother, Bakar, an opportunist, that sets them all on a collision course of deceit, regret and murder. As quickly as their lives reunite, their ties are forever ripped apart. Be ready to put your thinking cap on as BUNOHAN is not your typical local spoon-feeding movie.